Mary Berry drums for Rick Astley in surprise Bestival gig

From folding in to rocking out, Mary Berry unveiled a hidden talent this weekend - to the delight of Bestival crowds

Mary Berry proved there’s far more to her résumé than a finely piped mille feuille this weekend, when she took to the drums in a surprise Bestival appearance.

The nation’s baking pin-up appeared alongside none other than Rick Astley at the Dorset festival on Friday night, to give his rhythm some swing.

Bemused crowds erupted into cheers as they recognised Berry, coolly getting her beat on like a regular Dave Grohl:

No-one knows quite how the unlikely collaboration between Berry, queen of bakes, and Astley, be-quiffed 80s icon, came about.

However Astley had earlier tweeted about “bumping into” Berry on the festival’s grounds in Lulworth Estate.

The unexpected cameo went down a storm at Bestival, with elated festival-goers taking to Twitter to share their feelings of joy and bewilderment.

As far as sheer drama is concerned, it was a moment right up there with the most spectacular of Bake Off meltdowns:

Up until this point, Berry - who famously declined to continue as a judge for The Great BritishBake Off when it moved from the BBC to Channel 4 in 2016 - has kept her drumming skills firmly under wraps.

The 83-year-old cook and food writer is currently fronting a new show for the BBC, Britain’s Best Home Cook.

But could this surprise gig signal a change in direction for the pastry supremo?

As Berry expands her skills from folding in to rocking out, can we expect a few impromptu drumming riffs alongside the fondant icing advice?

Here’s hoping…

Mary Berry: total legend

Images: Twitter, Getty

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Anna Brech

Anna Brech is a freelance journalist and former editor for stylist.co.uk. Her six-year stint on the site saw her develop a vociferous appetite for live Analytics, feminist opinion and good-quality gin in roughly equal measure. She enjoys writing across all areas of women’s lifestyle content but has a soft spot for books and escapist travel content.